Bollywood union boycotts Australia

Indian film makers vow to stay away until attacks on Indian students are stopped.

06 Jun 2009 06:59 GMT

The attacks on foreign students have caused tensions between India and Australia [Reuters]

The attacks, which Indian media have called race-based, have caused some diplomatic discomfort between the two countries and sparked angry protests in India.

Screwdriver attack

Australia's government has condemned the attacks but insists that racism is not a motivating factor.

The boycott comes after four Indian students were attacked with a screwdriver by a gang at a Melbourne party last month.

Another Indian student was attacked in what appeared to be a robbery, and there were three other attacks in early May, including two on Indian taxi drivers.

Following the attacks, Amitabh Bachchan, one of India's best known actors, turned down an honorary doctorate from an Australian university, saying his conscience did not allow him to accept the honour.

Around 93,000 of the 430,000 foreign students in Australia are Indians, up from around 30,000 only a few years ago.

Australia is a prime destination for Indian filmmakers and two of last year's biggest hits, Bachna Ae Haseeno and Singh is Kinng, were shot there.